Ignorance is NOT Bliss
by stringdog
Summary: Short Dark Harry piece about Harry giving into his anger and grief at how he has been treated and going on a killing spree in Hogwarts as well as a few perceptions of his spree after the fact. Warning this is a depiction of a shooting spree and contains character death.
1. The Spree

**Warning this story contains references to real events of the past, fictionalized to an extent. If you are not comfortable with reading about a school shooting then turn away now. This was a story written from an idea in my mind based on my own intrigue in this form of killer. Those who commit crimes like this should never be praised, their acts are evil. That being said in some cases a full psychological profile is needed to try and understand why people snap like this and too this day there is no consensus on why spree killers go on their sprees. What makes it harder is that most perpetrators kill themselves before capture so it is hard to truly understand why this happens. There will be a further note at the end to clarify dates. You have been warned.**

 **Here is a Dark Harry one shot, sorry for my bad writing skills.**

 **Disclaimer: As always I do not own Harry Potter**

 **The Spree**

Harry had just returned to Privet Drive for the summer after his 5th year. He was depressed, upset, grief ridden and angry. The main reason was Sirius' death at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange a few weeks ago, a death he blamed himself for. All the death, destruction, sorrow, grief, etc. that had occurred over the last few years and would continue to occur in the coming days, weeks, months, probably even years, would all be because of him. Well not entirely because of him. Ever since Dumbledore had revealed the prophecy to him Harry's anger had begun to mix with his grief. He was angry at Dumbledore for keeping him in the dark, angry at Trelawney for making the damned prophecy in the first place, angry at not being told about it. In general Harry was angry at everyone manipulating him and treating him like a weapon rather than as a person. He realized that even those who were closest to him probably only saw him as the savior of the wizarding world, a tool to end Voldemort and gain fame for themselves. Well enough was enough. Harry had half a mind to end it then and there, kill himself, save Voldemort the trouble and let the magical world descend into chaos without him. His grief was driving him to this but his anger wanted more, his anger wanted to lash out at those who were using him. Harry didn't know how he could achieve both though so for the time being he was just in his room with his thoughts festering in his mind.

About a week into the summer holiday something changed that would allow Harry to discover how to act on all his emotions at once. The Dursleys bought Dudley a brand new computer and as such his old one was moved to Harry's room. That computer still worked so Harry decided to use it. He knew enough about the internet and the muggle world to use the computer so he thought it might help him take his mind off things or help him channel his rage. It was through the internet that he found his solution to all his problems.

It all started 5 days after Harry had started to use the computer. He was on a muggle chatroom. At first he had no idea what a chatroom was but he soon took solace in the anominity of it. He could say whatever he wanted and these people would support him, argue with him, help him, whatever they wanted to do without knowing who he was. It was here that Harry was able to vent his anger, while not mentioning the magical world at all just implying that he was a normal muggle teenager, and say why he hated the world and the people in it for how they had treated him. This lead to him being invited by one of the other members to join a teenage outcast chatroom. It was perfect for Harry. At last he had found a group of people who hated the world as much as he did. It was a dark and depressing chatroom filled with anger and hatred and a shared bond between himself and the other members in these emotions, in the feeling of being a social outcast, seen only for their purpose and not for who they were. The chatroom was known as "Society's Forsaken". It was in this chatroom that Harry developed a friendship with two American teenagers who he knew by the handles "REB" (short for rebel, something Harry found apt) and "VoDKa" or V for short. They were two kids around Harry's age who like him felt like outcasts and filled with a rage at their fellow schoolmates, at their school. They had plans already in the works for their school, plans they shared with Harry, in a town in the State of Colorado called Columbine.

Harry's new friends said that they were waiting for the right time to act. They still needed to prepare to build what they needed, to procure the weapons to carry out their plan. Their plan was simple, kill everyone and destroy the school. Initially Harry had been hesitant but the more he spent online with REB and V, as well as other similarly minded people, the more he warmed to the idea. Within two weeks of being online Harry was convinced. This was his way out. The idea proposed was not unique to REB and V but it did seem to be a thing in America muggle culture. With this concept Harry could unleash his rage at the teachers and students while also ending it all and letting the chaos descend upon the magical world. However the research Harry, with the help of his friends, was able to find was that most attacks of this nature ended in no more that 5 deaths. Harry wanted more, he wanted to take them all with him. He may spare a few just so they can tell his harrowing story and so the world will know what they did to drive him to this. In order to achieve this Harry had decided to keep a hand written journal telling his story of abuse and neglect all the way up to his godfather's death, who he blamed for all this, all his feelings, and his final decision. Harry knew he would succeed because of how backward the magical world of Britain was to muggle weaponry.

Harry's friends had introduced him to guns and bombs. These were muggle weapons that he had heard of but never really researched. What he found out was that they would be more effective than wands. If he could fuse them with something magical, so long as the bombs were homemade with no electrical components, he could unleash devastation and he knew just the magical substance to use. It was a substance so rare that only a few had access to it, none in England as far as he knew, and even fewer could get close enough to get it. It was a substance that only he had access to at Hogwarts, Basilisk venom.

Unfortunately Harry knew there were several problems with his plan. He had no idea how to make a bomb, use a gun, acquire a gun, acquire bomb making materials or milk a dead snake for its venom. Harry had money and he was sure he could use the discretion afforded him by the goblins to purchase what he needed but he needed time to train, both in the muggle world and at Hogwarts, and he needed to figure out how to get the materials he needed. He was sure he could smuggle them back from America, his online friends had told him about the ease of acquiring weapons and materials in the States, because he was a wizard and could travel in different ways. His problem was getting to America to spend time there and get what he needed. Harry decided it was best to pay the goblins a visit, they may be able to help him if he threw enough money at them. The next problem to sort out was how to get to Gringotts without being detected by the order guards watching the house.

Harry's solution was simple. He would wake up early and don his invisibility cloak. Then he would leave at the same time as uncle Vernon right so that the guards didn't realize he was leaving. If Moody was on duty then Harry knew he would be fucked but it was a gamble he would have to take. Once out of the house he would continue under the cloak until he got to Gringotts. He would get the bus then walk through London to the Leaky Caldron, enter Diagon Alley and walk to Gringotts. Once there he would hope that there wasn't anyone who could recognize him but to be on the safe side Harry decided to wear a hooded robe that would obscure his famous scar.

The next day Harry's plan to get to Gringotts went off without a hitch. Upon entering, looking just like any other shady wizard who is conducting business at Gringotts, Harry approached the same goblin that had taken him to his vault during his 1st visit to the bank.

"I would like to inquire about my account, as well as a few other things that the goblin nation may be able to help me with?" Harry asked the teller.

"Certainly, how may we be of service to you?" Griphook said in a bored tone.

"My name is Harry Potter and I expect full discretion."

Griphook looked up at this.

"Ah Mr. Potter, certainly. If you will follow me I shall take you to your personal account manager, he will sort you out from there."

With this Griphook hoped down and headed towards a side door. Harry quickly followed him through. At the end of the corridor they came to an ornate gold and silver door with the crest of the goblin nation carved into the center.

"This is the office of the senior accounts manager" Griphook said, "he is in charge of all the richest and oldest accounts in the bank. The Potter account is one of them. He will handle all your requests."

With that the goblin knocked and once the doors had swung open hurried back to his post in the main lobby of the bank.

"Enter" a stern, authoritative voice said.

Harry entered and the door shut immediately behind him. Th office was large with a mahogany desk in the center. Behind it sat an older looking goblin. Parchment, quills and ink littered the desk.

"I am Gornuk" the goblin said, "senior accounts manager at the London branch of Gringotts. How may I help you Mr. Potter?"

"Before I go into any details Gornuk," Harry began, "I must ask about the level of discretion that you can afford me?"

"Mr. Potter you do not seem to know much about the Goblin world or our relations with the wizarding one and I right."

Harry looked sheepish as he replied "I'm afraid so. I haven't really been taught the current situation and not paid much attention to the history of relations, other than a few bloody uprisings."

"Well I won't go into details about the uprisings." Gornuk said, "However I will explain the current situation. Goblins do not like wizards and vice versa. This shouldn't be new to you. What should be new though is the fact that goblins are their own nation with their own rules. While it is true that as one of the several species classified as beings we must abide by the laws of magical community as a whole, we are still afforded some autonomy. In the case of the goblins we have become the leaders in finance and metalwork and excel in both. Our secrets are our secrets. Because of this we have certain rules that the wizards must follow. The only ones you should be concerned of right now are related to Gringotts. As a goblin institution the bank is sovereign territory of the goblin nation and as such the ministry cannot request anything from us. That means that we will not tell the ministry that you have had any business with us and anything conducted here is beyond their reach or influence."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief at this. All his plans were on track, provided that the goblins could help him.

"Thank you Gornuk" Harry said, "my business with you today is mine alone and I do not wish the ministry or Hogwarts to know about it. I just have a few other questions for you."

"Ask away"

"Can the goblins help me travel to and from the United States?" Harry asked getting right to the point, "I have a few things I would like to sort out in both the muggle and magical world that I believe are easier to accomplish in the States."

"Of course we can" Gornuk said, "all branches of Gringotts are connected so for a certain fee we can transport you to any branch you so wish. This will be outside the usual wizard channels so you don't have to deal with any ministry red tape. Furthermore once you reach America the banks there can take money from your account here using your key and even change that money into dollars. It wont be the cheapest but given your vast fortune it is nothing for you."

"Thank you" Harry said. While he wanted to know precisely how much he was worth he knew it was irrelevant given his plans.

"Can the goblins provide me with glamor spells so that I won't be noticed in America?" Harry asked.

"We could but you don't need them." Gornuk said. Harry stared blankly at the goblin after he said this so Gornuk continued, "you don't need them for two reasons. One because unlike England which regulates underage magic, the United States does not. Once you are 11 you can use magic there as you wish, within the law of course. This is because the Americans do not believe in limiting progress as the British seem to do. In many ways that I shall not bore you with the American magical community is much more advanced than the British. Come to think of it Britain currently ranks last in the world for magical advancement, the bigotry and lack of progress here has stunted the wizarding world in Britain. Britain is very isolated from the rest of the world and the world tends to ignore Britain for many reasons. This leads to the second reason, no one in America knows who you are. Many Americans are only concerned for American interests and see problems in other countries as not worth their time, especially in a country considered as magically backwards as Britain. It is a sense of allowing sovereign nations to rule themselves without international involvement. While American wizards likely know about the war with Voldemort in Britain, they will only know broad details and really won't care about the finer ones. British wizards tend to be exceptionally arrogant and believe that Britain is the center and origin of the magical world without realizing that the rest of the world either hates them or is completely indifferent."

It took Harry a few seconds to process all the information that Gornuk had told him. It was good news to him though that he could sort everything out that he needed too without anyone finding out he was gone. Until today he hadn't left Privet Drive so he knew that the order would assume he was still there while he was gone. Moody was always the gamble because of his eye but Harry felt that with the current war going on Moody wouldn't be guarding him, he was too useful in the war effort. With the blood wards in place as well Harry was relatively confident that he would avoid detection so long as fate was on his side for once. He had one more request to make of Gornuk before he asked to go to the States.

"Due to the current war and the high likelihood of Voldemort killing me I would like to create a will. Can I do it here or do I need to do it at the Ministry?" Harry asked.

"I can draw up the will, have you sign it and then send it to the Ministry where it will be sealed until your death. I can also keep it here, the Ministry doesn't need to see it at all if you don't like." Gornuk answered.

"Great I would like to create one and leave it here" Harry said. He had not initially planned on making one but felt that he should seeing as he knew he would die soon without an heir.

"I would like to leave everything. My money and anything else I own but do not know about to Ronald Weasley." Harry said, "Should Ron die before me in this war then I would like the Weasley family to receive everything."

"Of course I will draw up the paperwork." Gornuk said.

"Actually on second thought if there is enough I would also like Remus Lupin to receive enough money to afford the wolfsbane potion for the rest of his life, as well as enough to ensure he would never have to work again. If that is possible."

"Without a doubt is that possible." Gornuk said, "I shall have the amounts calculated and send a range to you. All you need to do is confirm the sums and then sign the final will."

Harry just nodded his thanks to Gornuk. He had decided on giving his money to Ron and Remus because he felt that they deserved it. They were the only people still alive who liked him for who he was, rather than for his supposed destiny. Plus neither had much and Harry felt that they deserved to have some comfort after he finished it. While he liked the others who had accompanied him into the Department of Mysteries, he didn't know Ginny or Luna well enough, Neville was nice but he had his own problems and while he had never seen Harry as the boy-who-lived he still wasn't that close with Harry. Hermione was a whole other story.

While he liked her as a friend and valued her, she did have a severe superiority complex and elitist mentality. She had always struck Harry as someone who was smart, but not skilled, who knew of their intelligence and believed that because of how smart they were, they were always right and everyone should follow their example. The SPEW crap was a prime example. Hermione wasn't from the magical world so did not seem to fully understand the role of house-elves. While the British system was cruel at time, house-elves did live to serve and Hermione's attitude towards them was clearly her own beliefs being forced on them because she thought her beliefs were right and disregarded the culture of both wizards and house-elves. Harry suspected that Hermione may harbor Muggleborn supremacy ideas because she was born with magic rather than inheriting it. Whatever the case was Harry knew that she was as bad as the rest or at least just another sheep who did nothing.

"Thank you for your assistance Gornuk." Harry said, "may all this be prosperous to you."

Gornuk look pleased Harry's words.

"Anytime Mr. Potter." He said.

"I would like to travel to America now." Harry said, "My business shouldn't last long so I will be able to finalize my will within a fortnight."

"Where would you like to go?" was all Gornuk said in reply.

Harry thought for a moment. He wanted to go to New York City because it was the central hub of Magic in America and he could get the magical items he needed there. However his research into muggle gun laws in America had shown him the New York wasn't the best place to get the weapons he sought. He also wanted to go to Colorado to meet his friends but knew he shouldn't. After a moment it hit him.

"Is there a branch in Phoenix, Arizona?" Harry asked. Phoenix made the most sense. It was an intensely magical city (the name alone was proof enough) and the gun laws in Arizona were some of the laxest he knew.

"Naturally there is" Gornuk said, "I will have you sent there as soon as is possible."

That turned out to be less than 10 minutes later. The goblins used specialized portkeys for travel. They were simple stones with the name of the location etched into them in gobbledegook. They used goblin magic and as such were untraceable to wizards. Within moments Harry was transported to Phoenix. He quickly sorted out a bottomless bag from the senior accounts manager of the Phoenix branch so that he could withdraw either wizard or muggle money from his vault at a moments notice. The bag was keyed to his blood so that it couldn't be stolen or used by anyone else.

As soon as Harry got to Phoenix he got to work. First he had to acquire the magical items he needed. This was straightforward seeing as the magical alley of Phoenix was basically a large outer shopping mall. The first thing Harry needed was a set of magical armor to protect him from the more serious spells. While goblin wrought armor was an option Harry ultimately decided to go with dragon hide armor. It was more fitting for him he thought, given his history with the creatures. He quickly found a place that sold it. A half hour later he was the proud owner of a full set of armor, from breastplate and back protection all the way down to boots, made from the hide of a dragon he had never heard of, the Floridian Razorwing. It was a rare dragon breed but its hide apparently had the most magical properties (hence the rarity) and would do the job he needed. He also picked up a backpack from the same store, it was a hunting and camping store, with an undetectable expansion charm on it so he could store his new purchases. Despite being a hunting store the owner didn't sell muggle firearms because they were illegal in the magical world but he did, after a little monetary incentive, provide Harry with the address (and reference) of a wizard black market dealer in Tucson who dealt in magically modified muggle weapons. Harry knew this guy would get a cut but he didn't care, he would pay whatever the price was for what he needed.

His next stop was a clothing store. There he picked up a specialty black hooded robe that would cover him while wearing his armor and still offered protection from minor spells. It was also spelled to deflect objects, making it bulletproof, or so the proprietor claimed, which would protect him from accidentally getting cut by shrapnel when his bombs went off. Harry also bought a pair of gloves made from the same material. Harry also picked up a bandana to cover his face. It was red with a blue cross, similar to the flag of Scotland. Inside the cross was 13 white stars. The clerk told him it was a no-maj (Harry realized this was the American word for muggle) flag from American muggle history that many thought represented hate and oppression. Harry didn't care what it meant.

With his clothes shopping done Harry knew he had to head to Tucson to get the weapons. Using the Gringotts transport system he was able to travel the small branch there quickly. Once there Harry headed tot he address given.

It was a shady house in a rundown neighborhood but Harry didn't expect any less. Once there Harry used his reference, as well a large bribe, to prove he wasn't the authorities. Harry then told the dealer what he wanted. Harry wanted an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle and two 9 millimeter pistols, as well as a few thousand rounds of ammunition for both. The ammo had to be separate however, Harry had a plan for them. The dealer not only delivered but exceeded what Harry could have ever hoped for. He provided Harry with all three, all magically modified to have bottomless magazines. All three also had spells on them to prevent recoil. He also sold Harry 5000 rounds of ammo made by a goblin each weapon as well as silencers for all 3 should he need them. This was more than Harry needed but he didn't care, the more the better in his mind. The dealer also sold Harry all the materials he needed, as well as a thorough guide, to make at least 15 homemade shrapnel bombs that could be set off with non electrical timers. Harry paid the man handsomely, doubling what he had asked for, and headed back to the Tucson branch of Gringotts.

With everything he needed to carry out his plan Harry paid the goblins in Tucson to send him back to London. Before he left however Harry bought a goblin wrought chain, he didn't really know why he did but he had a feeling he would need it. By the time he returned to Diagon Alley it was noon the day after he had arrived. Knowing that the Dursleys wouldn't care that he had been away he headed back, under the invisibility cloak, to Privet Drive and entered the house when Uncle Vernon returned so as to not alarm whoever was guarding him. It had been a long but fruitful trip and Harry crashed as soon as he got back to his room. His plan was coming along perfectly.

The rest of the summer was relatively uneventful for Harry. He continued to go online and chat with his fellow angry outcasts about their fantasies of going out in a blaze of glory. The more they talked the harder his resolve became. He learnt everything he could, theory wise, about bomb making and marksmanship. It took a week to finalize his will but Harry was pleased with the final draft. Harry was unfazed by his OWL results, he got what he needed to take the required auror classes except for Potions in which he got an E not an O. Not that any of this mattered to him, it wasn't like he would have be taken the classes for very long. His birthday came and went as it always did. He received the usual few presents and cards and while it did make him feel better he was still resolute on his plan. With two weeks of the holiday left Dumbledore came to Privet Drive to take him to the Burrow for the rest of the break. His time at the Burrow was uneventful but happy. While he could no longer talk with his online friends he had told them that he would no longer be online and that he would follow through and wished them the best of luck with their own plans. He knew that REB and V would shock the American muggle world and succeed, to an extent, he was just sad that he wouldn't be able to hear about it. The one thing his time at the Burrow did do for him was reinforce his choice to give everything to Ron and to spare him if he could. He would like to spare Ginny as well so that the Weasleys didn't have to morn anyone but he doubted he would be able to do it. By the time the summer was over and he had to return to Hogwarts his plan was fully flushed out, all he needed to do was make the bombs and plant them, get the venom and train his shooting abilities.

The journey to Hogwarts was the usual. He was in a compartment with his fellow Department of Mysteries fighters, minus Ron and Hermione who were with the prefects and Ginny who was with her boyfriend and they got heckled by the Malfoy crew but that wasn't new. What was new was that when they reached Hogwarts Snape had been made Defense against the Dark Arts professor and the previous Potions professor, Horace Slughorn, had come out of retirement to teach it. Again Harry couldn't give two shits about this because it didn't matter to him, soon nothing would.

Harry had decided to use the Room of Requirement to train and make his bombs. First however he had to get the venom from the dead Basilisk. The tricky thing was storing it due to the potency of it but the Room of Requirement provided the necessary vials that would be resistant to the venom. Harry knew it would be corrosive but with the right spell he could ward off the effects of it on inanimate objects long enough for his purposes. Within a week of school starting Harry had travelled down to the Chamber of Secrets and milked several vials, more than he really needed, of the venom. His need for it was simple. He would coat the shrapnel and all the bullets in the venom just before he executed his plan. This would ensure that anyone who was hit by either would die because the only cure was phoenix tears and Fawkes couldn't save them all in time because the poison took less than two minutes to work. It was also the reason why he needed to wear protective clothing. Harry needed to stay alive long enough to cause as much death as possible.

Over the course of the next 8 weeks Harry used all his free time to prepare. It took him a month to perfect the shrapnel bombs so that they could cause the most damage. The rest of that time was spent making sure his shooting skills were as good as possible. While all he needed to do was clip people with the bullets he still wanted to make sure he hit them. Finally the day he had chosen came. A day that would once again live in infamy in the British Magical World, Halloween.

Harry had chosen Halloween for two reasons. The first one was practical, it was one of the few times the entire (or at least a vast majority) of the Hogwarts population would be present in the Great Hall and as such allowed him to take out as many people as possible. The other reason was more personal. It was on Halloween 15 years ago that Voldemort had decided to come to his home and murder his parents and try to murder him all because of a prophecy and Voldemort's own fear of death and the loss of power. It was on this day that he had become the boy-who-lived against his wishes and as such it would become the day he became the boy who carried out the worst single person massacre in British Wizard history. It would be a day that shook the magical world and the day Voldemort effectively won the war. The time had come.

It was a Thursday but because it was Halloween the students had the day off. Harry used that to his advantage. The first thing he did was wake up early and donning his armor, cloak, bandana and weapons used the secret passage he had used in his 3rd year he snuck out to Hogsmeade. Once he was there, knowing that no one would recognize him (and if they did he would kill them) he called the Night Bus. Ignoring Stan's questions as to who he was he paid him double to take him immediately to Privet Drive and wait for him outside. Once there Harry let himself in and in quick succession murdered the Dursleys as they ate breakfast. He shot all three in the head killing them without the need for the venom to work as a backup. He had this because of how they had treated him growing up. All his reasons were in his journal, detailing his plan and how he had succeeded. The killing spree had begun.

Returning to the night bus he paid to return to Hogwarts. As soon as the bus started moving Harry methodically and remorselessly killed everyone on the bus but the driver, just to ensure that no one could report him before his plans could be fully executed. Upon returning to Hogsmeade Harry shot Ernie, the driver as well. By this point he had killed 10 people. Harry activated the concealing charm on the dashboard of the bus so that no one realized the night bus was parked in Hogsmeade with 7 dead witches and wizards in it. Hopefully his luck would hold out for the rest of the day. Harry didn't want anything shut down until he was done. Harry then donned his invisibility cloak and returned to Hogwarts. Once there Harry waited impatiently until after lunch and after all the decorations were up to sneak into the Great Hall and plant his shrapnel bombs.

Harry's plan was designed to cause as much devastation as possible. He had constructed 12 bombs that when the exploded they would cause shrapnel, in this case small ballbearings, soaked in Basilisk venom to be thrown 360 degrees into anyone within the radius. In order to make sure that as many students were struck as possible Harry planted 3 bombs under each house table. One in the center and then one at each of the quarters. He had set each timer on the bombs to go off at precisely the same time, if he timed it right it would coincide with his first shot at the teacher's table. Returning undetected to his room Harry made two duplicates of his journal. Still under the invisibility cloak Harry went up to the owlrey and removing the cloak Harry sent one copy to the Daily Prophet and another to a book publisher he knew of. Harry wanted the world to know why he had done this but they wouldn't know until afterwards. It was almost dinner time, only a few more things left to do.

The first stop was Trelawney's tower. He knew that she wouldn't be at the feast and she had to pay because if it hadn't have been for her prophecy then none of this would have happened. Well that and if Snape hadn't have overheard it but Snape would pay soon enough. Using magic Harry forced the trapdoor leading to Trelawney's classroom open and the ladder to descend. Without hesitation Harry shot her in the chest. He had made sure that the gun was silenced so as to ensure that no one heard it. With Trelawney dead Harry quickly returned to his room, hoping to catch Ron there before the feast. Luck was still on his side when he got back to his room. Ron was reading a quidditch magazine on his bed when Harry walked in and removed his invisibility cloak. Ron looked up when the door shut. Harry stared into Ron's blue eyes and he knew Ron could recognize his under his get up.

"Harry?" Ron asked, "is that you."

"Yes Ron." Harry said his voice a bit muffled by the bandana.

"Where have you been all day the feast is about to begin." Ron said, "I was waiting for you. Hermione went to the library to work so she'll meet us there."

"I had a few things to sort out today." Harry replied.

Ron looked at him with a puzzled expression before saying "what things?"

"You will find out soon enough" Harry said, "just know this. I am sorry for everything that has happened and is about to happen today."

"What the hell are you talking about Harry" Ron said.

"You will find out soon enough" Harry said again in a flat voice, "know that what I have done was because I had no other options. It was the only way to make my point and express my feelings. I'm glad I found you here before the feast though, I didn't want you to die."

Before Ron could fully process this Harry drew his wand and stunned his best friend. Ron fell unconscious to the floor. Harry sighed knowing that the final stages of his killing spree would happen soon. Pleased to know that Ron was safe Harry placed his original journal on Ron's bed so that he could read it once he came too. It was Harry's confession and explanation as well as his manifesto and condemnation against everyone who had driven him to this point. It was simply called "Ignorance is NOT Bliss".

Leaving the Gryffindor tower Harry headed down to the Great Hall under his invisibility cloak. On the way he stopped by the hospital wing. Only Madam Pomfrey was there. She didn't know what hit her until after Harry had shot her in the back of the head. She was dead before she hit the ground. Removing the silencers and holstering the pistol he had just used Harry headed down to the Great Hall just in time to slip in before Filch closed the doors. Still under the cloak Harry observed the room. All the teachers, excluding Trelawney, were present and all the students were present. Harry expected a few wouldn't make it for whatever reason but he would still have the chance to kill about 300 people total today. Checking his watch Harry realized he had 5 minutes before the bombs went off. Quickly he turned to the doors leading out of the room and chained them shut with the goblin wrought chain. He also magically sealed the doors so that no one could escape. Turning, still invisible, Harry walked purposely down the center aisle until he stood, unnoticed, in front of Dumbledore. Checking his watch Harry eagerly waited until he had half a minute before the bombs went off. It was time for Harry's revenge, time to go out in a blaze of glory.

Shouldering the AR-15 he was holding Harry let the invisibility cloak fall off him revealing him standing, armed and hooded, in front of Dumbledore. Before anyone could reach Harry bellowed "This is for keeping me in the dark, for not telling me anything, for using me as a weapon. Well this weapon has turned on you and now all of you will pay for what you have done."

With that Harry shot Dumbledore in the chest. He had timed it perfectly for as soon as he had fired his first shot did all his bombs go off. Harry barely registered them going off however, he was too focused on the teachers. Methodically and quickly Harry shot at every teacher, hitting all of them even as they tried to draw wands or flee. Harry was pleased to see that Hagrid wasn't there, at least he would survive. Harry heard screaming coming from behind him as he turned to view the carnage. The bombs had done their job. Many of the students were already injured or dead. Once injured Harry knew there was no hope. The few who had managed to avoid injury had congregated at the door, banging on it and trying to open it, more concerned with saving themselves than confronting him. Shrugging off his cloak and removing the bandana Harry took aim and began to shoot into the crowd of survivors. Within 5 minutes of the bombs going off Harry was the only one left standing.

Stone-faced Harry slung the rifle over his shoulder and drew the two pistols. Calmly Harry walked through the room ensuring that everyone was dead. For good measure he shot everyone he passed, just for a guarantee. When he was done he returned to the center of the room, it was time to end it all. Before he could however a voice he recognized called out to him.

"Harry" it was Hermione she had somehow survived and had had the sense to hide wait until he was done to confront him. Fate had let her live but her own nature had doomed her. Raising one of the pistols and pointing it at her before he answered her.

"Yes Hermione" Harry said without a trace of emotion, "do you have any last words."

"Why?" she asked, "why did you do all this. You were supposed to be our savior, our hero of the light, you were supposed to defeat Voldemort."

Harry seethed with barely controllable rage. Even with her end in sight Hermione still didn't understand. All this did was confirm to him that she wasn't worth keeping alive.

"Really" Harry said, "you really don't know why I did this." Hermione just shook her head. "I did this because of all those reasons you just mentioned. All my life I have been just a tool, a weapon to defeat the dark. Why? Because of a fucking prophecy and a sociopathic, maniacal monster's fear that I, a mere baby, would defeat him. Then instead of being brought up by my legal guardian within the magical world I get dumped with clearly abusive relatives to be raised as a muggle. Then when I find out that the wizarding world exists I find out the truth about my parents' death and that I'm a celebrity. But that's all any of you can see me as, the boy-who-lived. Over the years I've been treated as a child, kept in the dark about my supposed destiny and then I have it all dumped on me as soon as my godfather is murdered. A death I caused but one I blame on Dumbledore for not telling me why I needed to learn Occlumency. Well enough is enough. I'm taking control and taking out all those who have mistreated me before I kill myself. Voldemort can have this world for all I care I don't want anything to do with it anymore. Goodbye bitch I'll see you in hell soon enough."

Before Hermione could say another word Harry shot her in the shoulder. She looked shocked as she stumbled back into one of the ruined house tables. Harry approached Hermione as she sat on the bench learning against the table. She was able to get a stunning spell off at him but it bounced harmlessly of his armor. Taking the wand from her hand he tossed it across the room as he stared into her eyes. Hermione's breathing was getting labored.

"What is happening?" she said, "I shouldn't be in this much pain from a shoulder wound."

"You shouldn't" Harry agreed, "but you see I took precautions so that no one would survive. All the shrapnel in the bombs and all the bullets I have used have been soaked in Basilisk venom." Hermione managed to look shocked at this. "It takes a little more than a minute for the venom to kill you. The only cure is phoenix tears and there's no way your getting those. By coating the bullets and shrapnel in venom I can ensure that everyone will die. Soon I will join all of you."

Harry watched as Hermione died from the venom. Standing up Harry walked to the very center of the room. He took a moment to survey the carnage that he had caused. It was time, his vengeance and rage had been satisfied, now it was time to give into his depression and in the process hand Britain over to the forces of Darkness. With the prophecy still in his mind Harry raised both pistols to hi head. Placing each at his temples he closed his eyes and taking a deep breath Harry pulled both triggers at the same time. The world went black.

 **Epilogue** **  
**

Harry Potter's shooting spree shocked not just the British magical community but the international community as well. No one had suspected it. There was an attempt to launch an investigation, using Harry's journal which the Ministry had prevented from being published, however it didn't last long. As soon as Voldemort found out that both Harry and Dumbledore were dead he attacked the Ministry. It fell in minutes. Voldemort had won and Britain fell into Darkness. Those who knew they would be persecuted fled as soon as they could. Ron was among those who left, leaving right after the funerals for Ginny, Hermione and Harry, heading to America to start a new life. On the 5th anniversary of the Hogwarts Massacre Ron penned a response piece for an American magical psychology to try and explain why Harry had done what he had done in order to prevent it from happening again and to try and find out how Harry had pulled it off.

In the end Harry Potter was responsible for the murder of 304 people before he killed himself. It was the worst singular massacre by a lone perpetrator of all time and decimated an entire generation of British wizards. Other than Ron 6 students survived, including Luna Lovegood who was in her room at the time. All the survivors only survived because they weren't present at the feast. Harry's trick with the Basilisk venom worked perfectly. Harry Potter would forever live in infamy for his actions and for the greatest failure of the British Wizarding system.

 **A/N: For reference the Columbine High School shooting occurred on April 20th 1999. Harry's spree occurred on October 31st 1996, based on the official Harry Potter timeline. REB and VoDKa are online handles used by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold in an online game that they both played. There is no evidence of them being part of a chatroom that I know of. The chatroom "Society's Forsaken" was made up by me for this story. In addition based on my research Harris and Klebold were not planning their killing spree this far in advance, I fictionalized a few details in order to make them fit my story. Furthermore there are at least 3 references (all not the most overt references, just finite details that relate to 3 sprees) to 3 other spree killings in the US that have all garnered national media attention. However all 3 occurred in 2012 or later so there cases were just used for details without any reference to the individuals.**

 **Thanks for reading, please review. I'm working on Ron's Response and will post it to this story at some point. I am also considering making a series of Dark Harry one shots, this being the first, please let me know in reviews if you want more stories.**

 **Stringdog**


	2. Ron's Response

**Here is Ron's Response to Harry's massacre. One thing I realized after publishing the first chapter was that while I had made references to Columbine, Aurora and Newtown I had not referenced one shooting spree I really should have. In March 1996 (so same year as Harry's spree) a 43 year old man shot and killed 16 elementary school students and a teacher in Dunblane Scotland (same country as Hogwarts). This was the worse elementary school shooting until Sandy Hook in 2012 and along with the Hungerford (1987) and Cumbria (2010) massacres one of the worst in British history. It was as a result of Dunblane that handguns are now illegal in the UK for private use. The law is so strict on it that the British pistol team has to train in France, not the UK. The reason why Dunblane is not mentioned is that it occurred during the Hogwarts school year (Harry's 5th year) and as most of the wizarding world doesn't care for muggle activities it is unlikely that Harry would have heard of it. Furthermore his internet correspondence was primarily with Americans who likely were unaware of Dunblane. Sorry to ramble without further adieu here is Ron's Response.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Ron's Response**

Below is a transcript of a piece written by Ronald Bilius Weasley for the Magical Psychiatric Journal of America on the 5th anniversary of the shooting spree committed by Harry James Potter on the 31st of October 1996. That spree is still the worst single massacre within the wizard community committed by a lone perpetrator. On the day in question Potter killed a total of 305 people, including himself, 302 were wizards (the other 3 were his no-maj relatives) in several locations. Potter used magically modified no-maj firearms and 12 homemade no-maj shrapnel bombs. Both the shrapnel and bullets were coated in Basilisk venom, a venom so strong that it kills within 2 minutes and has only one known cure, phoenix tears. This ensured the deaths of everyone hit.

Ron was Potter's best friend at Hogwarts. He was spared when Potter stunned him in their room prior to heading to the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Why Potter spared him is unknown but Ron was cleared of any involvement in the massacre in the investigation immediately after. That investigation was cut short a few weeks later by the coup d'eta lead by Tom Riddle that toppled the incumbent British magical government, replacing it with an authoritarian dictatorship under Riddle's leadership.

Just prior to the coup Ron, along with is future wife Luna Weasley nee Lovegood, relocated to America to finish their education. In the time since both have been granted American citizenship. Luna is a student at Louisiana State Magical Institute (LSMI) studying Magizoology. Ron is currently the starting keeper for the Baton Rouge Battalion of National Quidditch League (NQL). This is the first time Ron has spoken publicly about Potter's rampage and includes his own story since coming to America. It was written following a series of spree killing in both the no-maj and magical worlds in America. Hopefully this can shed some light onto why these acts of violence are committed and help answer how Potter succeeded in his massacre.

 **Five Years Later: Remembering Harry Potter**

 _October 31st 2001,_

 _It has been 5 years to the day that my best friend, my first true friend, Harry Potter shook the British Wizarding World and not in a good way. On this day 5 years ago Harry went on a killing spree, using magically modified muggle (no-maj to Americans) weapons, that claimed the lives of 305 people, including his own. 302 of them were magical and 3 were not, those where his relatives on his mother's side and based on the brief investigation they were killed first. Most of the victims were killed in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. There were only 8 survivors and we only survived because we weren't in the Great Hall at the time. 3 survived because their parents had taken them out of school do to the volatile situation in the UK at the time, 2 were in the library studying, 1 was in St. Mungo's being treated for a serious cursed object wound, and me and Luna were in our respective dorm rooms. Luna because she was sick with a nargle infestation or something like that I'm not to sure exactly what she claims it was. I on the other hand was saved by Harry himself when he stunned me._

 _Why did Harry save me? Honestly I still do not know, even with his journal. Yes Harry wrote a journal detailing his history, his upcoming plans and why he felt like he had to do what he did. I have shared this journal with the Magical Psychiatric Society in hopes that they will understand more. He claims he was abused by the no-maj relatives he lived with, that he had always been kept in the dark and that he felt like he was being used as a weapon because of a prophecy that identified him as the one who could defeat Lord Voldemort a.k.a Tom Riddle. After reading his thoughts I couldn't help but agree with his views on how he was treated. That doesn't excuse the acts he committed at the end of his life but it helped me understand why he felt like he had to do what he did. It also shows me how I didn't truly know my own best friend, how I couldn't see the signs that he was troubled._

 _I met Harry Potter on my first day at Hogwarts, on the train that takes us to the school. I won't deny I was a little star struck. I was meeting the famous Harry Potter. I had grown up hearing stories of him and how he defeated Voldemort as a baby. He seemed uncomfortable about it and after getting over my initial surprise I got to know him on a personal level. Over the years we became close, he was my brother. I always tried to see beyond the fame and the money but at times I couldn't, its not something I'm proud of. When Harry was selected as a Triwizard champion during our 4th year I thought he had done it one his own and was jealous. I soon came to my senses and spent the next two years trying to prove it to Harry. During the summer before our 5th year I wanted to tell Harry everything we knew about the Order of the Phoenix but Dumbledore banned us. I wanted to fight him on it, I felt it was wrong to keep Harry of all people in the dark about Voldemort but Dumbledore thought it was best and Hermione agreed. That was when I should have realized that he wasn't happy. Unfortunately I didn't and after the events of our 5th year and the death of Sirius Black, the closest person Harry had to a father, we lost him. He became withdrawn. I thought it was because of grief. Over the summer I tried to keep in touch but it was clear he wasn't very talkative. How he got the idea or the weapons I do not know but I know he got the idea from no-maj. As for the weapons I believe they came from America because they were American made but how he got them I can't say however I believe the goblins are somehow involved. The Basilisk venom was obvious and only he could get it. Harry has always been really smart so I'm not surprised he did this._

 _The day of the massacre was like any other Halloween day. Harry's parents were killed on Halloween in 1981 and that was when he became the boy-who-lived. It was also the best time to target the entire student and teacher population. The day was uneventful. Harry wasn't present all day but I didn't think much of it. For years he had always gone off on his own from time to time. I always thought that he did this to get away from the stress of his life, I would have if I was him. I didn't realize the demons that plagued him, no one did. Anyway it wasn't until just before the feast did I finally see Harry. He returned to the room just as I was about to put my magazine down and head down to the feast, I was hoping to find Harry at it. Hermione was already there I believe so I thought Harry might be with her. He looked strange. At first I didn't even know if it was Harry. He was wearing a long hooded black robe with the hood up, he looked like he was wearing armor of some kind under it. The lower half of his face was covered by a red and blue bandana that I later found out was the design of the bandana was that of the no-maj confederate battle flag. It was his eyes that gave him away, those startling green eyes were unique to him. I will now try to recreate our conversation before he stunned me. Its hard because it confused me, Harry wasn't acting normal._

" _Harry?" I asked, "is that you."_

" _Yes Ron." Harry answered is a muffled voice because of the bandana._

" _Where have you been all day the feast is about to begin." I said, "I was waiting for you. Hermione went to the library to work so she'll meet us there."_

" _I had a few things to sort out today." Harry replied._

 _I looked at him with a puzzled expression before saying "what things?"_

" _You will find out soon enough" Harry said, "just know this. I am sorry for everything that has happened and is about to happen today."_

" _What the hell are you talking about Harry" Ron said, really confused._

" _You will find out soon enough" Harry said again in a flat voice, "know that what I have done was because I had no other options. It was the only way to make my point and express my feelings. I'm glad I found you here before the feast though, I didn't want you to die."_

 _What happened next in terms of the massacre I cannot say because I was unconscious. What I will relate what I have heard from those who came to the castle afterwards. From my own understanding the two Ravenclaw students, who had been in the library and lost track of time (according to them) and as such missed the start of the feast, came down about 15 minutes or so after the start it to find the doors locked. How and when they contacted the ministry I do not know but an hour or so later ministry officials showed up. Unable to get in they cut an entrance, the doors are just that large, and what they saw horrified them. The house tables were destroyed, bodies littered the room with several (exact number has never been released) right in front of the doors. Immediately more officials were called in to help understand and try and find survivors. From what I have gathered they couldn't find any in the Great Hall but it was clear who the perpetrator was. Harry was lying dead in the center of the Great Hall with two self inflicted gunshot wounds to his head._

 _What confused the investigators was that some of the victims had survivable wounds. Many had been shot twice by Harry after the bombs had gone off, he would reveal in his journal that he did this to ensure they were dead, but some had not. My sister was one of them. She had four small wounds caused by shrapnel from the bombs to her gut. Normally someone would survive this. It wasn't until Harry's journal had been read by the ministry. He had sent two copies out, one to a publisher and the other to the Daily Prophet, both were seized by the ministry before they could be published and as far as I know they have never been released. I have the original that Harry left for me and I still don't know what to do with it other than letting the Magical Psychiatric Society read it. I will now quote from Harry's journal the he entitled "Ignorance is NOT Bliss". This is to show, in Harry's own words, the worst, most heinous and most unforgivable part of his plan, the reason why everyone he wounded died._

" _REB, V, and my other online friends have this idea to use both bombs and guns in their sprees. Initially I was hesitant to agree with them on anything other than our mutual anger, depression and rage at the society that has shunned us. I thought that they were just talking shit, you know how angry teenagers do, then they showed me evidence of other Americans actually going through with these acts. Now I knew that at least REB and V were serious. Over the many hours we talked they convinced me that this was the only way forward. It was the only way we could make society pay for how we had been treated. We could avenge ourselves and go out in a blaze of glory. Now I am convinced. My resolve has hardened. This is my only way out, it will be my righteous retribution against those who have wronged me. While I will use bombs and guns like REB and V suggested I have one advantage they, as muggles, do not, magic. I can modify the guns so that the magazine holds as many rounds as I want. However that is just the tip of the iceberg. I've heard of some shrapnel bombs being coated in things like shit or poison to cause even more damage. I shall do the same but I will use a magical poison. I spent hours thinking and researching magical poisons before it finally hit me. Basilisk venom. I've experienced it before and survived only because of Fawkes. Its only cure is phoenix tears and its one of the fasted acting poisons there is. In addition to this I am the only one at Hogwarts who can access it, once I figure out how to milk a dead snake, so no one can stop me. Just before I execute my revenge I shall coat the shrapnel and bullets in it. That way no one will survive."_

 _I can understand why Harry snapped. I can just about understand his desire to seek revenge on those who he may have perceived had wronged him, although why Harry didn't target deatheaters or Voldemort I do not know. However I still struggle with the Basilisk venom. The act of ensuring death is evil, heinous, just wrong on so many levels. I have no idea why Harry decided this other than I completely underestimated the depths his mind had sunk too. This level of cold calculated evil is the thing above all else that I cannot forgive Harry for, however I do believe that the boy who was my best friend and the monster who slaughtered 304 people in cold blood are different people. Harry changed and I will never truly know why._

 _All the actions committed by Harry have been told to me, either by ministry officials or by Harry in his journal which details his plan. At some point the officials searching the castle found me unconscious in my dorm room. I believe I was initially a potential co-conspirator but they quickly cleared me based on the journal in which Harry claims to be acting alone, a study of his wand showing that he had stunned me and the fact that my memory showed that he had stunned me. I don't blame them for suspecting me, I was one of the few survivors and his closest friend, plus I would find out that he had left me most of his vast fortune, properties, etc. although he did leave a substantial portion to Remus Lupin._

 _Once everything sunk in I was a mess of emotions. Shock, horror, grief, etc. all because of the actions taken by Harry. However I knew we had to hurry. With Dumbledore and Harry now dead many in Britain knew that Voldemort would soon capitalize on it. I, along with many other members of the Order of the Phoenix, expected the coup from Voldemort within a month. With many purebloods dead, and many of those purebloods being the only heirs to their respective families, we knew that it would take a few weeks at least for them to lay their children to rest before attacking. With a generation decimated and the effective end of a lot of pureblood families in Britain Harry had managed to do more damage than he may have intended, if that is even possible. We knew we had a little time and we wanted to hurry. The attack could happen at any minute and those of us who were blood traitors or muggleborn knew that we would be persecuted if Voldemort took power. That combined with what Harry had done made many of us, with myself heading the charge, felt like we had to leave Britain as soon as possible. There were just a few things we needed to take care of first. We had to bury those close to us who had died._

 _It started with a full state funeral for Dumbledore and the other teachers, including Snape, at Hogwarts. Normally we would have waited to ensure everything but it was held 7 days after the massacre as a precaution in case the coup happened sooner than anticipated. Without Dumbledore or Harry we knew that an attack would likely succeed. It was a period of time in which we couldn't trust anyone because of the nature of the war. Imperious curse, polyjuice potion, you name it Voldemort's forces used it. We had no idea who in the ministry was on our side or on the other (forced or willingly) so despite our best preparations many wanted to abandon Britain. Without our heroes we felt lost, especially after it was revealed that Harry had committed the massacre. It was because of that damn hero worshiping of Harry that helped push him over the edge. That's why all the funerals had to be done quickly._

 _The next week was rough. While I was invited to several, I only wanted to attend a few, the ones I help plan, the ones of my friends and family. The first funeral was Neville's. That was a standard affair in which many of the family friends of the Longbottom's showed up. Next was Hermione's. Hers was a no-maj affair. Many of the attendees were on her family's side. It was hard telling her parents and younger sister that she was gone but it had to be done. After Hermione it was Ginny's funeral. That was held at our house, The Burrow. We decided to bury her in our orchard where we as kids would play quidditch. It was to be one of our last acts at the house. We had agreed as a family, along with the Lovegood's to leave Britain, probably forever._

 _My parents were to go to Romania with my second eldest brother Charlie, the eldest Bill was transferring back to his old posting as a curse breaker in Egypt for Gringotts. Percy decided to stay at the ministry, his ambition was too great and it cost him, he was killed in the coup a few weeks later. Luna's father was going to travel in Europe searching for obscure magical creatures and work on some conspiracy book. The rest of us were planning on coming to America. One of our uncles, Lancelot Weasley, had moved to New York during the first war so we planned on staying with him while sorting a few things out. My twin brothers, Fred and George, wanted to branch out with a new joke shop in New York. Their original one in Diagon Alley was still in business for a little longer but it was destroyed a few months after the coup. They have since become very successful all over America. As for Luna and I, we decided to try and finish our education here but that's all we had in mind at the time. There was one more thing we needed to do however. Harry needed to be laid to rest._

 _I had helped plan it, I felt like it was the right thing to do. We decided to bury him next to his parents in Godric's Hollow, it's what he would have wanted. He was finally at peace and could lie next to his parents for eternity. It was a small affair. Only the Weasleys and a few other wizarding families decided to come. After what he did I don't blame them. All they saw was a monster, the fallen hero of the light who had gone against his preordained destiny and killed 304 people. To me that monster and Harry Potter are different people. I made sure he received a funeral and I mourned him because he was as much a victim as any one else. I know this is a controversial statement but it is how I feel. The actions committed by Harry Potter were atrocious but that was not the boy I knew. That's why I felt like he deserved a proper funeral. There are wards on his grave so that it can never be violated. That was one of the last things I did in Britain. After the funeral we returned home, made sure everything was packed up and the house was warded and left. Luna and her father had done the same thing, we would rendezvous in New York at Uncle Lancelot's apartment._

 _While Luna and I had few plans other than moving away from Britain, that alone was a great plan. A week after we fled from Britain Voldemort attacked the ministry. Even with their preparations there was enough spies or unwilling accomplices of the Dark Lord within the ministry for it to fall within hours. Several officials who resisted, including my brother Percy and the incumbent Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour, were killed by the deatheaters and their allies. I mourned for Percy because we couldn't bury him next to Ginny or even go back to claim his body. In the years since Voldemort's coup Britain has become even more repressive and backwards than ever. Those who have stayed are either loyalists, sympathizers, imperioused or too scared to leave. The horrors that the deatheaters have been committing since Voldemort took power are 10 times greater than what Harry did. Recently Britain has been kicked out of the International Confederation of Wizards for crimes against humanity, endangerment of the statute of secrecy, mass murder, and much more. The country has closed its borders. It is truly a shame that my homeland, my country, has become the epitome of evil and darkness. I country that I am in exile from. I cannot return, I am a blood traitor and a perceived criminal for my association with Harry and Dumbledore. However with no standing in the world, no magical community would ever deport me back. I'm glad that I have found a new home here in America. Moving and restarting here was one of the best decisions of my life._

 _We arrived in New York City in mid November. Uncle Lancelot lived in downtown Manhattan. None of us had ever met either of our Dad's brothers but dad had informed us that Lancelot was like him, working with no-maj artifacts and interpreting them for wizards. However unlike dad, Lancelot had moved to America because of the opportunities America had to offer. Apparently Britain is even more backwards than I had thought. In America they have found out how to fuze magic with no-maj technology and its all legal. Britain still lives in past and is more afraid of no-maj people than anywhere else. That's why Lancelot moved to work on his passion without restrictions and in a more tolerant and progressive society. Our first stop was his apartment to regroup and plan._

 _Fred and George already had their plan sorted. They had saved a lot from their joke shop and knowing that it wouldn't last in Diagon Alley much longer decided to reopen it in New York. Their problems was finding a premises. New York is expensive, even for wizards, and the center of the American wizard community. They had shipped all their inventory over so they would be ready to reopen as soon as possible. It took them a month to secure a premiss in the New York equivalent of Diagon Alley but once it open it was a huge success. In the 5 years since then they have opened at least a dozen other store across the US and Canada and moved their headquarters to New Orleans' French Quarter, partly because of its history with magic and partying, partly because I would end up in Louisiana myself a few years after we arrived. First though Luna and I had to sort out our own plans._

 _S_ _o far we had only planned to move to the states and flee the inevitable coup in Britain. Both my parents and_ _Luna's father, as well as Uncle Lancelot, wanted us to finish our education. The best place for that was_ _Ilvermorny_ _School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ilvermorny is based in the Northeast of the United States and serves as the official wizarding school of North America. Like many other wizarding schools they tend to not allow international (in this case non US, Canadian or Central American) students._ _The only exception is the Durmstrang Institute which does take international students so long as they are at least half-blood. However due to the circumstances Luna and I were in what with Hogwarts being closed indefinitely and Britain on the cusp of collapse Ilvermorny made an exception for us. We would join in January, so long as we were up to standard, and complete our education there. We soon learnt that the standard was a lot higher than expected._

 _I_ _lvermorny is ranked second academically to_ _Mahoutokoro_ _by the International Confederation of Wizards when they rank the 11 wizarding schools. I was a little shocked to learn that Hogwarts ranked 11_ _th_ _but since I've been abroad I've realized just how repressed and backwards Britain has been. Dumbledore tried to make progress but alas the pureblood prejudice is too strong in Britain, especially now. Anyway Luna and I had about 5 weeks to ensure we were up to the same level as we should be. I've never worked that hard in my life but it was worth it in the end because both of us were admitted to Ilvermorny for January._

 _I_ _lvermorny doesn't have a house system like the one at Hogwarts (4 houses named after the founders where you live for all 7 years of your education there) and I quickly realized that it was much better than the Hogwarts system. There was no rivalries, no stereotypes, no resentment, just witches and wizards learning together. The main thing there are cliques. As Luna and I were new, British and not starting from the first year we didn't exactly fit in any clique. That didn't matter to me at all though because it meant that Luna and I grew closer than we already were. Eventual we would become a couple and get married but that is a story for another time. While I was good at magic and could have joined the Magical Congress if I wanted to I wasn't interested in it. I knew this was because of what had happened at Hogwarts had made me wish for a career outside of the government. I wanted to do something fun and that I enjoyed (although not chess while I am a master at it I didn't want a career in it). Soon I knew my calling, Quidditch._

 _At Ilvermorny I practiced with some of the new friends I was making. Luna had already decided that her path would be in Magizoology and concentrated on that while I focused on my general education and Quidditch. I'll give it too the Americans they were damn good. I hadn't expected it from them but they surprised me. I had been on the Gryffindor team in Hogwarts and so long as I was feeling confident I was a good keeper but even Harry, who could have easily played pro, wasn't as good as the star seeker at Ilvermorny. However while there was competition there was also camaraderie and the people at Ilvermorny immediately accepted me into their ranks and helped bring out my confidence to the highest level it could be. It took a lot of training but by the time I was set to graduate I was one of the top 3 keepers in the school. I was ready to try and go pro._

 _This wasn't as easy as I had thought however because the American system is different. Under the National Quidditch League (NQL) rules players had to spend at least a year after graduation in either their development league (NQL D-League) or play internationally before they were eligible to be drafted one of the 32 NQL teams. This wasn't a big deal for me, just a little unexpected, but I would certainly do it. I attended an NQL D-League scouting combine (as they called it) to see if I could get any offers to play in the D-League. There are 32 D-League teams each affiliated with one of the 32 NQL teams. However once signed to a rookie D-League contract for that in between year the affiliated NQL team wasn't allowed to call you up because you hadn't been through the draft process yet. I was surprised when I got 5 offers from D-League teams. The Lansing Lances (affiliate of the Detroit Daggers), the Spartanburg Sinners (affiliate of the Durham Dream-crushers), the Shreveport Sharks (affiliate of the Baton Rouge Battalion), the_ _Concord Condors (affiliate of the_ _Fitchburg_ _Finches) and the team I would sign with for the year the Columbine Crusaders (affiliate of the Boise Bandits). I signed with Columbine because I knew I would be their starting keeper thus giving me the best chance to shine that year for the NQL scouts._

 _L_ _una still had one more year at Ilvermorny. She already had plans to study Magizoology at a more advanced level in the southeast United States. The bayous of Louisiana to the swamps of Florida apparently have some of the best magically wildlife in the continental US. I was signed for the 1998-99 NQL D-League,_ _after the season my hopes were to enter the 1999 NQL Draft. My year in Columbine, Colorado was uneventful if I'm honest. I was their starting keeper for all the season and proved myself a solid player. The Crusaders made it all the way to the playoff finals where we lost, not for any fault of my own but we were up against_ _Darius Smackhammer, the aforementioned star seeker at Ilvermorny in my year. He was signed by the Lynchburg Liquormen (affiliate of the Gatlinburg Gators) for his year out and would go on to be the top pick in the 1999 Draft by the Sweetwater All-Stars._ _Entering the season I was seen as a top 5 keeper prospect (including international players) and a late 1_ _st_ _to early 2_ _nd_ _round pick. By the end of the season I was the definitive top keeper in the 1999 Draft class (a heavy chaser class) and my agent and the media had be in the top 15 picks of the draft. Naturally due to my high draft stock I was invited to the draft in New York City._

 _The 1999 NQL Draft was held on the 19_ _th_ _of April 1999. I was nervous because this was a major media event and a loaded draft class. At the draft I was shocked when I ran into Katie Bell, a former Gryffindor chaser who had been on the team with me during my 5_ _th_ _year at Hogwarts. I had thought she had died (other than Luna I didn't know the names of the survivors) in Harry's massacre two and a half years earlier seeing as she was supposed to be at school then. It took a moment for me to remember that she had been sent to St. Mungo's hospital a week prior to Halloween after touching a cursed necklace meant for Dumbledore and being in need of serious treatment. This absence from Hogwarts had saved her (she was as surprised to see that I survived as I was that she did) and her family had moved her to America after Harry's massacre to get better medical care and avoid the inevitable coup. Anyway it turned out she was one of the top chasers in the draft having spent two years in the minor Canadian league. Katie was drafted 3_ _rd_ _overall, still the highest drafted British player, by the Tuscaloosa Tidal-Wave. After Katie was drafted I was on edge because I knew I would be drafted soon. I didn't have long to wait._

 _I still remember the NQL commissioner announcing my name:_

" _With the 6_ _th_ _pick in the 1999 NQL Draft the Baton Rouge Battalion select … Ronald Weasley, Columbine Crusaders."_

 _I was ecstatic. My dreams of playing pro Quidditch had final come to fruition. I would be going to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I knew they needed a keeper so my drafting wasn't unexpected and it worked perfectly. One of the many properties that Harry had left me (that he likely had no idea about) was a plantation mansion on an unplottable island (which I also owned) deep in the Louisiana bayous. It had last been owned by some great-great-great uncle (or something like that) named_ _Beauregard_ _Potter. I didn't pry too much into Harry's family history but it was perfect. I knew where I would be playing Quidditch and fate had ordained it to be in a state where I owned property (no need to get a new place) and where my (at the time future) wife would likely be working. It was one of the best days of my life. Unfortunately the next day, the 20_ _th_ _of April, would be a day in which some of my worst memories would be dragged back to the surface and would begin to reveal answers I had been searching for for 2 and a half years._

 _In the no-maj world it is known as the columbine massacre. It was when two high school students in Columbine, where I had been based for the year, killed 13 people and then themselves. They had tried to detonate bombs but failed. There were a few similarities to Harry's rampage at Hogwarts. It had shocked the no-maj world because it was the largest of its kind in recent history. It reminded me of Harry and how he had snapped and done the horrible things that he had done. I tried t_ _o_ _find out as much as I could about it. As more information came out I realized that Harry was connected more to this than I had thought. The two no-maj teenagers he had referenced most in his journal were identified by their internet (something no-maj people use) handles as REB and V. These had been two of the more influential people in helping Harry formulate his plan and convincing him that he can do it, should do it. Well it turned out that these two killers in Columbine used those handles online. It was more than a coincidence, they had to be the same. The no-maj experts in Colorado couldn't find anything from 1996 but I'm sure that it was them. Harry never mentioned where they were based just that they were American and how they had helped him._ _They weren't the only ones, there was some extremist bloke in Norway who also helped but not as much as the other two. The whole thing was a shock and it brought back the memories of Hogwarts. The no-maj were asking what they could have done to prevent this and not allow it in future, unfortunately Harry in his journal shows how he got away with it. Columbine probable could have been stopped because the signs were there, unlike with Harry, it is the ones which take you by surprise that are hard to stop. I will now quote Harry's journal again to try and give some insight into his mind and a way it might be stopped in the future, especially when there may be no signs._

" _REB and V talk all the time about their desires online and not on our private forum. I see this as dangerous because while the muggles can be blind and just see it as teenagers being teenagers. It seems that American muggle culture is one their side. Since I have become committed to my plan I have seen REB and V's strategy as reckless. There is too much risk involved. While I know that I will have to take a few risks, mainly in acquiring the materials and weapons, I will not take overt risks like talking about killing people. The best solution to success is a veil of normality. Be normal, be routine, don't do anything out of the ordinary. This is how I will succeed. I will keep my plans to myself, I know I can trust the muggles online because they no jack shit about me but I can't trust anyone at Hogwarts. By keeping my plans secret and going about everything as normal, be it classes, Quidditch, homework, etc. I can avoid detection until its too late. To use a muggle saying I will be a "wolf in sheep's clothing". I thank another one of my forum friends, a 17 year old muggle from Norway who I only know as And_ _y_ _. While his reasons appear to be more political (I try to avoid muggle politics) he has helped instruct me on being seen as normal and not boasting outside of online anonymous forums of like minded individuals. I do not know when he will unleash his rage, he has said that he expects his plan to take over a decade to come to fruition. If he succeeds then he will have done so because of this veil of normality._ _No one can see the signs if you do this because no one will try if they think your normal. People are too shallow and don't try to see more than the mask you can put up when in public. They won't pry or try to help you. If Dumbledore or Ron or anyone else had tried (Hermione tries but its for her own sake rather than others) to help me instead of dumping back with my abusive relatives then maybe I wouldn't have come to this conclusion. Alas they haven't and have forced my hand, the whole wizarding world [of Britain] has no one to blame but themselves for the wanton death and destruction I will levy on them when I am ready."_

 _L_ _ike the early quote this is a chilling example of how far Harry felt he had been pushed. However out of this we can see how to try and counter his "veil of normality". We cannot ignore people who have been through the trauma that Harry went through. While what Harry went through was worse than any of us could imagine he does have a point. If we can tell that something is off then we must try to help. How I do not know I am not an expert in the field but hopefully the Magical_ _Psychiatric_ _Journal can figure out how. I should have been a better friend and tried to help but Harry never wanted to talk about it and I trusted and respected him enough to not pry. I admit I was a terrible friend, I was petty, jealous, stupid, etc. I have felt that I should not have been spared and I may never truly know why Harry chose to spare me. He explains in his journal but still I struggle with it. It has taken me 5 years to reach this point. I hope that my tale can help prevent this from happening again, especially on the scale that Harry's massacre was, and hopefully his journal will_ _help figure out how Harry was able to secure his weapons and bring to justice those who helped him._

 _R_ _onald Bilius Weasley_

 **Thank you for reading just a few post story notes. The first is that the Norway reference is to Anders Breivik, like the Columbine references in the previous chapter it is fictionalized. Breivik has claimed that he started planning his massacre in 2002 not 1996, I changed that to include it in this story. The other note is that the actions of Ron attend Harry's funeral and seeing him as two different people (the killer and the friend) is based of an interview I saw with one of Derrick Bird's friends (or so he claims) who lost an arm when Bird shot him during his spree in Cumbria in 2010. The friend attended Bird's funeral service because he felt that the man who killed 12 people (including himself) and his friend Derrick Bird were two different people. Thank you for reading if you would like me to write Harry's journal then let me know in your reviews.**

 **Stringdog**


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